ARRIVAL BEIJING

You will be met at Beijing International Airport by our guide and transferred to a hotel in central Beijing. Today you will have an opportunity to rest and recover from the long flight. In the late afternoon, there will be a briefing about the following 15 days. Welcome dinner will be followed by that.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals D

BEIJING CITY TOUR

After breakfast, we will follow in the footsteps of emperors, court ministers and eunuchs and head south to the magnificent and colorful Forbidden City. Forbidden City Beijing, also called Imperial Palace Museum, is located in the very heart of Beijing. It remained the residence of the emperors for nearly five hundred years, from the 15th century to the early 20th century, and was the actual and symbolic seat of imperial power. Popularly known as the Forbidden City, it was built in the Ming Dynasty between the 4th and the 18th years of the Yongle period (1406 - 1420 AD). Many of the buildings of the Palace have been repaired and rebuilt, but their basic form and layout remain in their original state.

This afternoon, we will transfer to visit Summer Palace. Summer Palace located in a northwestern suburb of Beijing, it is an immense park containing some Chinese traditional architecture and arts. It was built and served as a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty. It exhibits the quintessence of the Chinese classical landscape gardening. The halls, the pavilions, the corridors, the pagodas, the bridges and the water were elaborately arranged. The long Corridor is one of the most exquisite structures in the garden. It is over 700 meters long and decorated with thousands of Chinese traditional paintings. At the end travel back to the city to enjoy a delicious Peking Duck dinner - the capital's most famous dish. Once imperial cuisine, now the legendary duck dish is served at restaurants around the world.

This evening we will go to Beijing Temple Theatre to watch a Chinese opera performance. Highlight: before the start of the show, We can go to the backstage to look actor makeup process. The Beijing Temple Theatre which we will watch the opera is the living fossil of China's ancient opera towers. One of the few remaining industrial and commercial guildhalls in Beijing, Temple Theatre (Zhengyici) was also called 'Banking House Guildhall'. The two-storey opera tower in the temple theatre is unique among guildhall opera towers and is honored 'the living fossil of China's ancient opera towers'.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals BLD

BEIJING- CAMPSITE

In the early morning, after breakfast, we will go to see the local people doing their morning exercises and join them to learn Taiji from the master in Temple of Heaven. Tai Chi, or Taijiquan in China, is an outstanding gem of traditional Chinese culture that is valuable in promoting health, developing combat and self-defence skills, and improving concentration and overall well-being.

Then we will visit the Temple of Heaven. Temple of Heaven was the venue for the Ming and Qing emperors to offer sacrifices to the Heaven and pray for harvest. This temple was built in the 18th year during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle in 1420.

After visit, a scenic drive of about 1.5 hours takes you to Huanghuangcheng section of the Great Wall. Upon arrival, lunch at local restaurant, after a short rest, we will start our hike westward to Xishuiyu. Although the climb is steep, there is a good trail alongside the Wall, and it only takes about half an hour to get to the watch tower on the cliff. Here is a great place from which to take photos, one of which must be of the moon-shaped reservoir far below. Then, after another half-an-hour hiking, we will reach the highest point in this area. From this vantage point you will have a nice sunny panoramic view of the whole wide valley, stretching even further toward the west. From this summit the Wall dives steeply downwards into the valley.

After walking down by the steps, we will reach a platform and hike westward again, climbing upwards along the broken Wall, a tall cliff overlooking Xishuiyu Lake. From here, the view is amazing! You can see the broken Wall running directly into the lake, and beyond it, the endless mountain range. Unfortunately, from here on, the Wall is really too broken to traverse safely, so we will instead follow a pleasant mountain trail downwards to the lake at the bottom. At the end of our hike, we will drive the Jiankou village and check in the local guest house

If camping, after dinner, trek 40-50mins to tonight’s camp site, camping on the Great Wall

• Accommodation Guest house or Camping on the Great Wall

• Distance Hiking:9km;Driving:beijing-huanghuacheng90km, Xishuiyu-Jiankou75km

• Meals BLD

• Time Hiking:4-4.5hrs;Driving:beijing-huanghuacheng1.5-2hrs, Xishuiyu-Jiankou1.5-2hrs

JIANKOU-MUTIANYU– XI’AN

Your last trekking day is again great for photography! The Jiankou section of the Wall is known to be one of most beautiful part of the Wild Wall near Beijing, loved by photographers. After a half-hour climb upwards, through a gentle wooded area, we will clamber out onto a portion of the Wall not visited by tourists.

If camping, we will be woken up before sunrise to catch the sun throwing soft morning light onto the Wall itself. After a simple breakfast, hike eastwards to Mutianyu Great Wall. The hike itself is quiet and beautiful - in about four hours of passing deserted sections of the Wall in its original state, we will get to the well-known restored section of the Wall - Mutianyu. What a difference between the tourist section and the original Wild Wall we have just seen!

After lunch, drive to Beijing West Railway Station, take a high-speed train to Xi’an.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Descent Hiking: Jiankou –Mutianyu 10km; Driving: Mutianyu-Beijing West Railway Station 80km

• Meals BLD

• Time Hiking: Jiankou –Mutianyu 4-5hrs; Driving:Mutianyu-Beijing West Railway Station 1.5hrs

XI’AN CITY TOUR

Our guide will pick you up from the hotel, then we will drive to visit the magnificent Qin Terra-cotta Army. It was built in about 2500 years ago and contains more than 6000 warriors, soldiers and horses. UNESCO listed it in 1987 as one of the world cultural heritages. In the afternoon, drive back to Xian city; visit Gao's Grand Courtyard, the Great Mosque and the old street, where you can enjoy the ancient Shadow Puppy show. In the evening, enjoy Chinese Dumpling feast with Tang Dynasty dancing show.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals BLD

XI’AN – Mt. Huashan

We will spend one day to explore the beauty of Huashan Mountain! Breathe in fresh air, walk in the sea of clouds, witness magnificent scenery made up of many granite peaks and see ancient Taoist temples to which emperors of past dynasties made pilgrimages. 
Mt. Huashan is situated in Huayin City, 120 kilometres east of Xi'an, and it is one of the five sacred mountains in China. Experience the fun of hiking the country’s loveliest mountain, and be rewarded by a captivating sight of its five peaks appearing in the shape of a flower from a distance.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals BLD

XI’AN – GUILIN - LONGJI

After breakfast, transfer to Xi’an Xianyang Airport, take a noon flight to Guilin. Meet your guide and driver at Guilin airport in early afternoon, then transfer to Longji Rice Terraces (about 1.5 hours’ drive); then change the local shuttle bus and keep driving up the mountain (about another 40 minutes), start walking uphill to Pingan Zhuang Village. Stay overnight inPinganZhuangVillage.

Walking info: there are flagstone steps from the bus parking to Pingan village, this walking-up may take about 30-40 minutes, and the ascent is about 250 meters.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Ascent 250m

• Distance hiking:39-40mins

• Meals D

• Time Driving: Airport-Longji rice terraces 1.5hrs, up the mountain 40mins

LONGJI - DAZHAI

After breakfast, have the whole day excursion at Longji, hike on the mountains to Dazhai Yao Village and visit the minority villages and view the rice terraces from different angles. Here in Dazhai it is allYaopeople, dressed in their eye dazzling red embroidered costumes. Then back to your hotel in the afternoon. Stay overnight atPinganVillage.

Walking info: there is a flagstone trekking path on the mountains with many ups and downs shared by the local minority farmers and water buffaloes. You need 4 – 5 hours to finish this hiking, but these 4 – 5 hours hiking allows you to have a better understanding of these mountain tribes and their real life.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals BLD

• Time hiking:4-5hrs

LONGJI – GUILIN

After breakfast, start to walk 1.5 hours to Pingan Old Zhuang Village, then take the local shuttle bus down to the bus parking lot. Then drive 2 hours to Guilin, visit: Yao Mountain (the highest in Guilin, by chair lift, for a great bird’s eye view of the surroundings on the summit), the biggest organic tea farm at the foot of Yao Mountain. In the evening, follow your guide and take a 1.5 hours’ leisure walk along the city’s ancient water system – this ancient water system was built by the locals 800 years ago and was served as moat before.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals BLD

• Time hiking: Longji 1.5hrs, Guilin 1.5hrs. Driving: Longji-Guilin 2hrs

GUILIN –YANGSHUO

After breakfast, transfer for your visit of Reed Flute Cave (the most famous limestone cave in this area and good example of this Karst Formation), then drive 1 hour to Yangdi and start your walking along the beautiful Li River to Xingping, transfer to your hotel in Yangshuo from your walking ending point – Xingping.

• Accommodation Nice resort

• Descent hiking: 12km

• Meals BLD

YANGSHUO

Drive about 30 minutes to the walking starting point – Fuli, follow the old trade path through villages to escape the tourist crowds, end your walking atSuoshiVillage. Then transfer back to Yangshuo to visit the Moon Hill for a good bird’s eye view of the surroundings (there are about 800 flagstone steps from the foot to the top of the hill, the walk-up time may be around 40 minutes). Back to your hotel in Yangshuo in late

afternoon.

Walking info: This 12 kilometer-walking from Fuli Town to Suoshi Village takes around 4- 4.5 hours, the first half will be bit hilly, and we need to walk up the old stone steps through two hills - the first one is around 60 meters ascent and the second one 130 meters ascent; the latter half walking can be either up and down the dirt road or climbing over two more small hills (about 100 meters’ ascent each) to Suoshi, On the way, you can explore the villages and talk to the local people there with our guide as your interpreter. The scenery along the way is really mind-blowing.

• Accommodation Nice resort

• Ascent 130m

• Distance hiking: 12km

• Meals BLD

• Time hiking: 4-4.5hrs; driving: 30mins

YANGSHUO

To avoid the heavy traffic in the town and for safe reason, take your van or bus to the cycling starting point, cycle along Yulong River through different villages, then drop your bikes at the bamboo rafting pier and have the relaxing 1.5 hours bamboo rafting (2 sharing one raft with one local standing behind and rowing the raft). Then transfer back to your hotel after lunch, enjoy the rest of day for your own exploration.

Biking info: this biking may take you 1.5 hours along the two sides ofYulongRiver, the biking will be level ride, and the biking distance is around 22 kilometers

• Accommodation Nice resort

• Distance biking:22km

• Meals BL

• Time biking: 1.5hrs; bamboo rafting:1.5hrs

YANGSHUO –SHANGHAI

Transfer toGuilinairport for your departure flight to Shanghai. In the early afternoon, the local guide will pick you up from Shanghai Airport, transfer to the hotel. After dinner, go to visit The Bund.

The Bund: Also called the Zhongshan Road, is a Famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years.It was the centre of Shanghai’s politics, economy and culture hundreds of years ago, consulates of most countries and many banks, bus inesses and newspaper offices were settled there.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals BD

SHANGHAI – WUZHEN

After breakfast, our guide and drive will pick you up from the hotel, then take a 2 hours drive to Wuzhen, which is today’s visit. Then you will visit a wine making plant, & a local printing workshop. Have a Chinese lunch and continue to visit an exhibition of antique beds from the Ming & Qing Dynasties. After that, pay a visit to a local folk culture museum. Then you will make a cruise in Chinese gondolas.

• Accommodation 4 star hotel

• Meals BLD

SHANGHAI –SEE OFF

After breakfast, check out the hotel, then drive to visit Yu Garden and Oriental Pearl Tower. After lunch, transfer to the airport, take a flight back home. End of an incredibly memorable experience!

Yu Garden is one of the most famous gardens in China and is national heritage listed. It was built in 1559 and extended in 1577. Each section of the garden is separated by curved white walls crowned with the head and body of a dragon on them. It's named after the original owner.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is unquestionably an icon of Pudong’s renaissance. Looming through the mist, like a reproduction of a classical Chinese ink painting of landscape, stands Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Its soaring height of 468 meters boldly characterizes the Lujiazui cityscape.

• Meals BL